Traditional: 噸
dūn HSK 5

English Meaning

📚 Example Sentences

这辆卡车能装五吨货。
Zhè liàng kǎchē néng zhuāng wǔ dūn huò.
This truck can carry five tons of goods.
他们每月用一吨水。
Tāmen měi yuè yòng yī dūn shuǐ.
They use one ton of water per month.
这艘船重十吨。
Zhè sōu chuán zhòng shí dūn.
This ship weighs ten tons.
这辆车重两吨。
Zhè liàng chē zhòng liǎng dūn.
This car weighs two tons.
我们买了三吨煤。
Wǒmen mǎi le sān dūn méi.
We bought three tons of coal.

💡 Memory Tip

Think of 'dūn' sounding like 'done'—imagine a heavy task being 'done' after moving a ton of weight. The character 吨 includes 口 (mouth) and 屯 (to store), which can remind you of storing large amounts (like tons) of something.

📝 Usage Notes

This word is neutral in formality and used in both spoken and written Chinese, especially in contexts like trade, logistics, industry, and environmental discussions. It commonly appears in news reports, business documents, and everyday conversations about weight.

📖 Grammar Points

吨 follows the standard classifier pattern: Number + 吨 + (的) + Noun. For example, '十吨钢铁' (shí dūn gāngtiě, ten tons of steel). It can be used with 的 for emphasis or clarity, as in '十吨的钢铁.'

🏯 Cultural Notes

In China, 吨 is often used in economic and environmental contexts, reflecting the country's large-scale production and trade. For instance, discussions about steel output or carbon emissions frequently involve this unit.

🔄 Similar Words

斤 (jīn) is another weight unit meaning 'catty' (about 0.5 kg), used for smaller, everyday items like food. 吨 differs as it is much larger and used for industrial or bulk quantities. 公斤 (gōngjīn, kilogram) is a metric unit for general weight, while 吨 is 1,000 times bigger.

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